Some of my favorite memories are of hockey games down by the mighty Maumee River. There were no spectators in the hockey rink. We all played, substituting in and out when we got exhausted. I remember well Fr. McCormack and Fr. Shea showing off their East Coast hockey skills. No one could stop Fr. Max’s slap shot. It got cold but we never felt it because we were so sweaty from the energetic competition.
I have another fun memory of Fr. McCormack. He approached me one day in the music room and asked if I would sing for the St. Patrick's celebration. That was the first time I ever sang “Danny Boy” in front of a crowd and Bishop Michael Blume, SVD (who is currently Apostolic Nuncio to Hungary) was my accompanist. Now some 60 years later, I'm still singing that song every St. Patrick's Day for thousands of people in the pubs of the Midwest and the South. When I think about it, that's what really started my musical career. I also loved the opportunities we had for acting. I appeared in almost every one of our school plays and that generated an intense interest that spilled over into my participation in community theater and in professional theater in the Midwest and the South. I have so many things to think about regarding my seminary experiences for but the most special was the relationship that we had with each other. We were high school kids but living together made us feel like brothers. And we continue that close relationship these many years later.
Me (center) with my current Nashville band, Def Lebrechaun
